In its monitoring of the recruitment of women and minorities into ACRIN trials, the Special Populations Committee interacts with ACRIN leadership and the Patient Advocacy Committee. It also participates in national forums on minority recruitment.

The committee is responsible for:

• ensuring that ACRIN maximizes opportunities to recruit women and minorities into clinical trials;
• advising ACRIN of special opportunities to investigate situations and/or technologies in which women and minorities are especially affected;
• reviewing all protocols for potential detriment to the recruitment of women and minorities and suggesting changes to enhance their acceptance;
•  reviewing patient publications and recruitment plans with regard to monitoring the accrual of minorities by protocol and by institution on an ongoing basis and discussing strategies for improvement with trial PIs and network leadership; and
• focusing on the importance of site demographics and methods for community outreach in the site selection process.

Committee Members
Elizabeth Patterson, MD, FACR, Chair
Nanette DeBruhl, MD
Marcela Bohm-Velez, MD
Kathleen Brown, MD
Beverly G. Coleman, MD
Lornia Beccaria, RN, CCRC
Marilyn A. Roubidoux, MD
Missy Layfield
Lucy Hanna, MS
Quentin McMullen
Joy A. Brown, BS